One of the first national forests in the Eastern United States, Pisgah National Forest was established by the federal government in 1916. It covers over 500,000 acres in twelve counties in Western North Carolina and contains original portion of George W. Vanderbilt’s once-vast Biltmore Estate. The roots of American Forest Conservation lie in Pisgah at the Cradle of Forestry, the brainchild of George Vanderbilt, Frederick Law Olmstead and Gifford Pinchot. Transylvania County contains a significant portion of the forest, as well as some of its most memorable landmarks, including Looking Glass Rock, Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock and the Cradle of Forestry Historic Site and Museum.
